


Give Me Mercy No More

by Kyouka_S



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Angst, Blood, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, F/F, F/M, Killing, Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Knives, Murder, Murderers, Needles, Psychological Horror, Psychological Trauma, Relationship(s), Slowburn Relationships, Spoilers, relationships will take heed to plot, switching POV
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2020-05-16 07:38:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19313632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyouka_S/pseuds/Kyouka_S
Summary: Chiaki Nanami should not exist.She should be dead, executed by Monokuma.Why is she in another Killing Game, who are these strangers, but most importantly...Why is she alive?--Give Me Mercy No More takes place with all 16 Blackened characters across the series forced to compete in yet another Killing game... but under what circumstances?





	1. 0.1 Where do I begin?

**Author's Note:**

> Please be gentle on me. This is my first fanfiction for Danganronpa, and my first fanfic in quite a long time.
> 
> Also, I'd like to explain some of my choices for the Blackened in ambiguous cases.
> 
> Dr1 chapter 4: I chose Sakura over Alter Ego (despite alter Ego making an appearance) because it's be hard to count a computer as a student, wouldn't it?  
> Dr1 chapter 5: I picked Kyoko over Makoto because Kyoko was the one originally framed for the "murder" of Mukuro Ikusaba, and she's the only one who can actually die to the execution. I would also like to highlight Kaede as a protagonist a bit more.  
> NDRV3 chapter 6: I chose K1-B0 over Tsumugi, because with K1-B0 and my other choices, there's a perfect 8:8 gender balance for the Blackened, and because I didn't want the Mastermind to be too obvious...
> 
> I'd like to thank my dear friends Pixel and Bee for helping me plan this fic, the executions, or honestly just letting me rant.
> 
> That aside, please enjoy my fic with this in mind!

Loading: True Danganronpa…

…

…

Chiaki Nanami should not exist.

She’s been dead for years. An AI version of her sent from the Future Foundation to the Neo World Program. In there, she had been accused of murder and executed.

Yes, that’s what happened. But the AI’s consciousness returned to it.

She opened her eyes, staring at a cloudy blue sky and the sun resting in it, and separating her and it, a cage.

She sat up, finding herself in front of a large building resembling a school. Next to her were familiar faces from the Killing School Trip. Gundham Tanaka, Mikan Tsumiki, Peko Pekoyama, and Teruteru Hanamura.

“Where… are we?” Pekoyama looked around the courtyard, up at the school, and at the cage in the sky.

“I don’t know…” Nanami replied. “I’ve never seen this place. The building looks like a school…”

“W-where are the others?” Tsumiki said.

“It seems even hell was no match for me.” Tanaka laughed. “For Gundham Tanaka is back from the grave!”

“You all died, too?” Hanamura said. “I… I thought I was crazy for remembering being executed!”

“I can confirm I remember dying to the hands of Monokuma…” Pekoyama said.

“But we’re all here.”

“Then those we killed?” Tsumiki asked. “A-are they alive, too?”

“One way to find out.” Nanami said. “We’ll explore as we go. Come on!” She had to lead the group. She felt she needed to.

She opened the door to the school, finding a small entrance hall. In it were six people looking vaguely familiar, but Nanami had never met them before.

“So, we are not alone.” A muscular girl with silver hair said.

“Hello?” Nanami said, looking at the group of people.

“And this makes ten…” Another girl, this one wearing purple, said. “Do you think there’s more?”

“I don’t know what to expect here anymore…” A boy with red hair said.

“We should at least introduce ourselves.” Pekoyama said. “I am Peko Pekoyama, called the Ultimate Swordswoman.”

“Ultimate?” A tall boy who looked like an old fashioned punk said. “You guys are fuckin’ Ultimates too?”

“Then this very well could be what I’m thinking…” The girl wearing purple said. “Very well then. I am Kyoko Kirigiri, the Ultimate Detective.”

“You said you didn’t remember your talent!” The red haired boy said.

“I know.” Kirigiri said. “And I didn’t. You’ll have to believe me. I just woke up remembering it.”

“Kyoko’s talent isn’t the biggest problem we have.” The tall girl said. “Either way, I am Sakura Ogami, the Ultimate Martial Artist.”

“I’m Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Star.” The red haired boy said. “I don’t really like baseball, though.”

“My name is Celestia Ludenberg.” A girl who was quiet this whole time spoke. “But if you so wish, you may call me Celeste.” She smiled sweetly. “I am also called the Ultimate Gambler.”

“I’m Mondo Owada.” The last stranger said. “The Ultimate Biker Gang Leader. How I got that title a long fucking story I don’t want to share.”

“I suppose it’s our turn.” Nanami said. “I’m Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer.”

“M-Mikan Tsumiki.” Tsumiki said. “The U-Ultimate Nurse.”

“I am Gundham Tanaka, the Ultimate Breeder!” Tanaka interjected. “Behold the Four Dark Devas of Destruction!”

“Hamsters?” Owada said. “You have fucking hamsters?”

Tanaka scoffed. “You dare challenge the ruler of all hells?”

“I believe you’re forgetting someone.” Hanamura said. “My name is Teruteru Hanamura. On paper, the Ultimate Cook. But I prefer the Ultimate Chef.” He grinned. “It’s a pleasure.” He winked at Kirigiri, who looked absolutely disgusted at his flirtatious nature.

Before they could get a word past introductions, a scream reverberated through the hall. Nanami ran to the other door in the Entrance Hall, presumably to the rest of the school. She opened the door.

It had a long hallway, and a sixteen lockers lined the halls. One was open, and there was a blond girl looking like she just fell out of it.

“Are you okay, miss?” Nanami said, helping her up.

“Yes, thank you.” The girl said.

“May we ask who you are?” Kirigiri asked.

“You know, it’s rude to ask for someone’s name without saying your own first…” She replied.

“I suppose you’re right. I am Kyoko Kirigiri, the Ultimate Detective.”

“D-Detective?” She seemed shocked.

“Yes. Detective. Now yours?”

“Oh! Right! I’m Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist!”

“Are there any more Ultimates with you?”

As if on cue, another locker opened. A thin man with long dark hair kicked the locker he was in open.

“Kiyo?” Akamatsu said. “You’re here, too?”

“Yes, I suppose I am.” the supposed “Kiyo” said. “Where are the others? Who are these people?”

“I… don’t know.” She said.

“We’ll introduce ourselves later.” Ogami said. She started grabbing more lockers and yanking them open. She did this until they managed to find someone else.

A boy with a similar shape to Ogami, wearing a suit, came out of the locker next.

“Where is Gonta…?” He looked around.

One by one, more people managed to fall out of lockers.

“And that’s a total of sixteen.” Kirigiri said.

“Before we make any assumptions, who are you all?” Nanami said. A part of her knew what sixteen Ultimates in one place meant.

“Gonta’s name is Gonta Gokuhara!” The buff man said. “Gonta is the Ultimate Entomologist!”

A boy with purple hair grinned. “I’m Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars, and the Ultimate Astronaut!”

“My name is Korekiyo Shinguji…” The thin boy said. “You may call me Kiyo. I am the Ultimate Anthropologist.”

“I am the Ultimate Maid, Kirumi Tojo.” A girl with grey hair said. “I look forward to serving you all.”

“And I am K1-B0!” A.. robot said? “Please, call me Kiibo. I am the Ultimate Robot!”

The rest of them introduced themselves.

“So, sixteen of us, all Ultimate students.” Kirigiri said. “This can only mean one thing.”

Nanami well understood what was going on. But why? She was supposed to be dead. The others she knew were supposed to be dead. Perhaps the same with the others, too.

“A killing game.” Owada said. “I was in one before. Yeah, I killed someone, but I was caught…”

“As I.” Tsumiki said. “B-but why am I alive? I was supposed to be reunited in death with my beloved. Not this.”

“Your Beloved?” Shinguji said.

“I believe all of us remember meeting the same fate.” Tojo said. “Execution by Monokuma.”

“I object.” K1-B0 said. “I killed myself to end the Killing Game and kill the Mastermind with me.”

“How noble.” Kuwata scoffed.

“But the question is: why are we all alive? And why are we made to do this again?”

“We have something in common everyone else in our Killing Games do not.” Ludenberg said. “We have all ended the life of one or more students. We are the ones who snapped under the pressure to commit our crimes.”

“We’d be much more interesting to watch kill each other.” K1-B0 said.

“Clearly someone gets some sort of sadistic pleasure from watching these killing games.” Nanami said.

As if on cue, the sound of a bell echoed through the hallway. Over a monitor, a face everyone knew far too well appeared. Monokuma.

“Hello students~!” The two toned bear said. “Please gather in the gym for orientation!”

The monitor turned off. Everyone’s suspicions were confirmed.

“Not again.” Ogami said. “I don’t know how much more of this bear I can take.”

“Me either..” Hanamura said.

“We shouldn’t keep him waiting…” Nanami said. “We know what will happen if we disobey, right? Let’s go find the gym!” She led the group out.

“Looks like it won’t be you leading the group this time.” Momota said to Akamatsu.

Akamatsu looked a little sad. “Well, it’s okay! I’ll live.”

“That’s what we all thought.”

The entrance to the gym wasn’t too far from around the corner. The gym itself wasn’t too far off from what Nanami would expect. It contained an open area, a few basketball hoops, and at the very end, a stage.

A mic reverb echoed through the gym. “Ahem, testing?” The annoying screech of that damned bear filled the room.

The bear popped up on stage. “Welcome to the TRUE killing game!” He said.

“The… true killing game?” Tanaka echoed.

“Yep! Consider the last game you were in… preliminary. Puhuhuhu! You all were the ones who managed to snap and kill someone! Of course, you were all caught, but you’ll do better this time, won’t you?”

“No, that’s wrong!” Akamatsu yelled. “I won’t let anyone kill each other again! We all know what will happen… we can be better! We’ll show you!”

“Puhuhu!” Monokuma laughed. “Spoken like a true protagonist! But you all snapped once, I know you can do it with the proper motivation.”

Nanami knew she was blamed for a suicide, but a part of her felt horrible for “killing” Komaeda. There’s no way she’d get her hands dirty again; and she hoped everyone felt the same. They were going to get out of here another way. No matter what that way may be. No one’s dying again.

She won’t let that happen.

She refused to listen to Monokuma any more. She refused to take part in this killing game.

When the bear disappeared, Nanami was at a loss for what to do.

“We should explore the school.” Kirigiri said. “Search for clues to get us out of here, and become more familiar with our environment. We’ll meet back here in two hours.”

“Let’s search in teams of two.” Nanami said. “We can’t risk anyone on their own anymore.”

Nanami decided to pick Ludenberg to explore with.

“So, Celeste?” Nanami said, walking to the enterance to start their search. “That’s a peculiar name, were you born with it?”

“Yes.” Ludenberg said.

“Are you foreign?”

“No, but my parents were. My mother came from a line of German musicians, and my father from French nobility.”

“Wow… that’s really cool.”

Ludenberg said nothing in reply, looking around the hallway left of the gym.

Nanami had to break the silence again.

“This area is awfully empty.” Nanami pulled on a set of doors, only to find them locked.

Ludenberg examined a blocked off staircase. “I suppose it will serve a function later. It’s not to be worried about.” She walked off to the rest of the hallway.

“Hey, wait up!” Nanami called, running after her.

They stopped at two more doors, leading to rooms that seemingly branched off of the gym.

“Locker rooms, perhaps?” Nanami said, grabbing a handle and pulling. Locked. She tried the other. Locked as well.

“No use worrying about it.” Ludenberg said, this time waiting for her to walk with her.

They entered a classroom, which they seemingly weren’t the first to explore this room. K1-B0, Ogami, and Owada were already in there. They were opening closets and searching around the place.

“Should we leave? They seem to have taken care of it.” Ludenberg whispered to Nanami.

“No, we should help!” Chiaki opened a cabinet, to find a single laptop in it

“You guys, we found something!” Nanami called to everyone in the room.

The other four crowded around her. Nanami opened the laptop, and a greenish tinted screen popped up, with the face of a girl on the screen.

“Chihiro!” Ogami said. “No, Alter Ego.”

Owada choked up. “A-Alter Ego? Chihiro? Is this a sick joke?”

“An AI?” K1-B0 examined the laptop. “It’s design is like my own, with an intense capasity for learning…”

“Hello!” The supposed Alter Ego said, a smile on its face.

“Hello, Alter Ego.” Nanami greeted it with the term those who seemingly knew the AI said. “Do you know where we are? What’s going on?”

“No, I don’t.” The Alter Ego said. “I’m sorry, I really am.”

“I guess we’ll tell you what we know-” Ogami was interrupted.

“What the fuck is going on?!” Owada yelled. “But I killed you!”

“It’s okay, Mondo.” Alter Ego said. “I believe Master would forgive you. I don’t harbor any anger to you, as an AI, so I have no reason not to.”

“So you can’t process anger?” K1-B0 said.

“I can comprehend emotions quite well. I’m just not mad at Mondo.”

“T-thank you.” Owada smiled slightly.

“But why are you here?” Ogami said. “Don’t tell me you killed someone!”

“No, I didn’t.” Alter Ego said. “I was executed in your stead.”

“They executed you for no reason?!” K1-B0 yelled. “That’s robophobic!”

Ogami paused for a bit. “I’m sorry, Alter Ego.”

“There’s no reason to be sorry!” Alter Ego said.

“We have to keep exploring, Chiaki.” Ludenberg said. “Let’s leave Alter Ego to those three.”

Nanami and Ludenberg left the room. “Where else to go?” Ludenberg asked.

“What’s that room?” Nanami pointed to a room, running over and opening the door. It was a music room, seemingly, with a large piano at the center.

“Didn’t we have a pianist?” Ludenberg said.

“Yeah, Kaede. From the other group.”

“I’m suprised she isn’t here. We’ll just tell her about it later.” They left the room.

Next, they found the dining hall. Tsumiki and Shinguji were exploring there.

“Hey, Mikan, Kiyo.” Nanami said.

“O-oh, did you want to search here? I’m sorry!” Tsumiki said. “Please forgive me!”

“There’s no reason to apologize.” Shinguji said. “It seems searching the dining hall has been in vain. I doubt there would be anything in the kitchen, but I suppose it’s worth taking a look, if you two want to search around here.”

“Thanks, Kiyo.” Nanami went to the kitchen with Ludenberg.

The kitchen almost felt like one you’d see at home, with how small and quaint it was. Ludenberg started opening cupboards, searching around the place. Nanami looked around too. All the containers of ingredients in food all over the place seemed brand new; Even the sponges and pans without a single sign of use on it.

“I don’t think anyone was here before us.” Nanami said.

“That’s not exactly what I’m worrying about.” Ludenberg said. “This is plenty of food, yes, but there are sixteen of us. One of us is a robot, yes, but how sure are we this will last?”

“Maybe this works like the Funhouse, just more permanent…”

“The funhouse?”

“In the fourth murder case in my first game, we were all trapped in a funhouse.” Nanami explained. “The motive was there’s no food or drink in there, and when a murder happens, we’ll be fed.”

“But we have food.”

“Yes, but maybe it’s not enough. Like you said, there’s 15 of us who eat. This’ll drain quicker than you think. What if food’s only restocked after a murder case?”

“That could be possible, yes. But until we have an answer, I wouldn’t eat too much. We’ll tell everyone when we meet up.”

They left the kitchen, then the dining hall. “I think that’s everywhere in the school. Are we done?”

“No. I and the rest of those from the Killing School Trip woke up outside. I think there’s more out there.”

Ludenberg sighed. “Of course.”

They made their way to the entrance hall, and pushed the doors open. Nanami was greeted by the same cage she saw when she just woke up.

“A… cage?” Ludenberg said in awe.

“Yeah, a cage.” Nanami said. “I woke up outside, so this isn’t new. I didn’t get a look around, though.”

“I suppose we’ll do that now.”

Nanami looked around. The place was mostly barren, with only three things to note. A pool, a batting cage, and another building, looking similar to the school.

The pool was closest, so Nanami decided to check that out first. At the pool were Pekoyama, Hanamura, and Kirigiri.

“My, we have a pool. Can’t wait to see the girls in swimsuits.” Hanamura said, looking happy.

“Suddenly, I don’t want to swim.” Kirigiri said.

“Just wait until he’s dead.” Ludenberg said under her breath, just enough for Nanami to hear.

Pekoyama looked mildly uncomfortable as well. “I choose not to swim as well…”

Nanami and Ludenberg decided to leave the pool and head off to the batting cage.

Just outside of it were Kuwata and Akamatsu, talking.

“So this is your Ultimate Lab, Leon?” Akamatsu said.

“Yeah, but screw baseball. I wanted to be a fuckin’ musician.” Kuwata said.

“What did you wanna play?”

“I dunno. I wanted to start a punk rock band.”

“That’s so cool!”

“I was hoping the Ultimate Pop Sensation - who was in my first game - was going to teach me to sing. But turns out she tried to kill me, so I killed her in self defense.”

Akamatsu didn’t have a response to that.

Nanami coughed. “Hey, you two.”

Their heads turned to Ludenberg and her.

“Oh, Hi.” Akamatsu said. “Chiaki, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. Celeste and I were just exploring. So this is Leon’s Ultimate Lab?”

“It is, but I don’t wanna use it.” Kuwata said. “I don’t like baseball to begin with, and it reminds me of my execution…”

Everyone else in the room knew the feeling. Nanami didn’t know if she could play Tetris the same way again.

The conversation was at an awkward stop. Ludenberg and Nanami decided to check out the last building.

It consisted of a long hallway with eight doors on either side. Tojo and Gokuhara were in the hallway.

Nanami smiled and greeted them. “Any idea what’s in here?”

“Dorm rooms.” Tojo said. “Every room has someone’s name and picture on the door. I opened mine, it’s a dorm room.”

“I guess we need somewhere to stay if this is a Killing Game.” Ludenberg said.

“Gonta no think we will hurt each other!” Gokuhara said. “We learn from last time!”

“I wish I shared your optimism…” Nanami said. “We thought every time in my first Game that this murder would be the last.”

“Yes, but Gonta does have a point.” Tojo said. “We’ve experienced the punishments firsthand, I hope that instills some fear in us not to kill each other. Personally, I’d rather stay here forever than risk going through what I have been through again.”

Before Nanami could respond, Kirigiri opened the door to the dorms. “Can you guys come to the gym?” She said. “We need to discuss what we have. It’s 10 minutes past the scheduled rendezvous.”

“I deeply apologize for not being on time.” Tojo said. “I am a failure as a maid.”

“Don’t be like that, Kirumi.” Nanami said. “Let’s just go to the gym.”

The group headed to the gym, Kirigiri checking classrooms for any lingering students.

All 16 gathered.

“We should start with what we have.” Kirigiri said. “Anyone found anything to note?”

“I found Alter Ego.” Ogami said.

“Alter Ego?” Pekoyama said.

“Chihiro Fujisaki, a participant in my killing game. He created an AI version of himself we found after he died.”

Something about the name Fujisaki rung with Nanami.

Owada looked at the floor. “He was executed in the place of Ogre, or so I heard.”

“That might explain why he’s here.” K1-B0 said. “I killed myself executing the Mastermind, so maybe that’s why she’s not here and I am. Maybe she’s the mastermind of this round, too, and is controlling from behind the scenes?”

“Yeah, you fuckin’ said so already.” Kuwata said. “Stop gloating. Not all of us had noble deaths.”

“Mastermind?” Momota said. “Who was it?”

“Tsumugi Shirogane.”

“It was four eyes?”

“Tsumugi wouldn’t do such a thing!” Gokuhara said.

“She did. And she’s the real killer of Rantaro.” K1-B0 said.

“But… I’m the culprit!” Akamatsu said.

“That’s what she wanted us to think.”

Kirigiri coughed. “You guys can discuss this later. We should remember the name Tsumugi Shirogane as the Mastermind.”

“I don’t think it’s her.” Nanami said.

“Who do you accuse?” Kirigiri asked.

“Junko Enoshima.”

“Bullshit!” Kuwata said. “Even I know that she died, she was killed by Monokuma for breaking the rules!”

“That was her sister, Mukuro Ikusaba, dressed as her”

“That’s fucking confusing…” Owada said.

“We’ll keep both names in mind.” Kirigiri said.

“There’s something I wanted to ask.” Ludenberg said. “Momota, Tanaka, where were you two during the investigation? Chiaki and I saw everyone but you.”

“Uh, we were behind the school!” Momota said. “We were looking for secrets back there. Like the whole World Is Mine bullshit Kokichi put is through, or the Death road of Despair.”

“Did you find anything?” Kirigiri said.

“We were unfruitful in our search.” Tanaka said. “Kaito led us to dead end after dead end.”

Kirigiri sighed. “Dismissed, all of you. We’ll gather in the dining hall every morning after the morning announcement. I hope no one falls victim.”

Nanami followed the crowds to the dorms.

Her room was the first one on the left.

She entered. The room was rather simple, not as nice as her cottage in her first game. Needed more gaming consoles. But there were some, so it was nice. Her room otherwise contained a bed, a closet, and an attached bathroom. There was a singular window overlooking the courtyard, with drawn blinds. The window wouldn’t open. The glass was thick, and likely bulletproof. No break ins, hopefully.

On a bedstand were two objects. A single key on a keychain, marked with “C. Nanami” on it. She went to the door and locked it. Hopefully she was safe. Else on it was seemingly a phone. She turned it on, only to find it was some sort of school handbook. It flashed, and something displayed.

_The school regulations are as follows. Failure to obey these rules results in death._

  1. __If a murder takes place, a trial will follow after two hours of investigation period.__
  2. _At the end of a class trial, every student will vote for the Blackened, or the killer._
  3. _If the Blackened is correctly convicted, they alone are executed._
  4. _If the Blackened is wrongly identified, everyone besides the blackened will be executed._
  5. _Once the Blackened is the last standing, they alone will graduate._
  6. _The killing game witll continue until 14 students are dead._
  7. _Violence against the Headmaster is prohibited, and Monokuma will never directly commit a murder._
  8. _Every Blackened is limited to one kill._
  9. _Monokuma will stop a second blackened in the case of it._
  10. _Night time is between 22:00 and 06:00. An announcement will play at the beginning and end of night time._
  11. _The pool, dining hall, and rooftop are forbidden from entry during night time._
  12. _Self defence acts, accidents, and suicide still count as a murder and a trial will be held._
  13. _In the case of a suicide, the Blackened is the one who killed themself._



As if on cue, an announcement played from the monitor in the room.

“Attention, Killers!” Monokuma said. “It is now 10 pm, and officially night time!”

Nanami took that as incentive to go to bed. It’s been a long fucking day.


	2. 1.1 The Likes of Those of Old Crows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Detective Kirigiri wakes up to find herself in the same Killing Game she and 15 other students were thrown into. It wasn't a dream after all. She and a group of students who've decided to cooperate to end this killing game decide to hunt for the mastermind a bit early. Kirigiri grows attached to a certain Pianist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. I have nothing to say for myself.  
> Well, I do. I had a falling out with one of the persons who helped me plan this fic, and I grew to associate this with the fucking asshole. It grew harder for me to write this.  
> I finally decided to reclaim this fic earlier this month because well, it's still my fic.  
> I do hope you enjoy, for as bad as my writing is.

_ “Gooood morning, students! It is 6:00, and officially day time! The dining hall, pool, and rooftop are now open! Get ready for a fantastic day in the true killing game!” _

 

Kirigiri watched the anouncement on the monitor with half awake eyes. The black and white bear, holding a drink… like he always did. Kirigiri thought this was over when she was falsely convicted. This game, the killings, the bear. But yesterday was real. This bear wishes only to see the world suffer. The mastermind wishes only to see them fall into despair. There’s no safety, even in death.

She composed herself slowly, put on her jacket, tied her tie, put her socks and shoes on, and brushed her hair. She didn’t want to face the other students. She couldn’t trust anyone. Not even the ones she knew before this killing game. She was an innocent in a school full of murderers. Of course, she remembered Akamatsu was in the same position as her from K1-B0’s revelation to her yesterday. Akamatsu was perhaps the only trustworthy person in the school.

She opened the door to the hallway, finding a few people already standing around in the hallway, either just woken up by the announcement or had seemingly been up for longer. She walked to the dining hall, finding Tanaka leaning against the edge of the school building. Kirigiri put on her best fake smile, and greeted the Breeder.   
“Are you going to the breakfast meeting, Gundham?” She asked. “I said we’re meeting at the dining hall.” 

Tanaka scoffed. “You preach cooperation like it will work. Working together solves nothing. There’s no way out of this killing game other than murder.”

“We almost had a way out in my killing game…”

“And clearly, that didn’t work. You should give up.”

“That’s not true…” She couldn’t give up hope. Hope is the last thing you should lose in a killing game.

She turned from Tanaka, walking to the dining hall from the terrace enterance. Part of her didn’t expect a turnout. After all, some likely shared his despairing mindset.

She opened the door to find Ogami, K1-B0, Akamasu, Owada, and Nanami sitting at the table.   
“You guys showed up?” Kirigiri said, a little surprised.

“Of course!” Akamatsu said. “Why wouldn’t we?”   
“Why wouldn’t the rest of the fuckin’ students?” Owada replied sarcastically.

“We’re apperantly the only ones who think we should cooperate.” Kirigiri said.

“I don’t want anyone to die…” Akamatsu said.

“Monokuma knows how to motivate, though…” Nanami said.

“Either way, we need to talk about preventing another murder and getting our way out of here.” K1-B0 said.

“I think I have an idea for preventing a murder.” Akamatsu said.

“What is it?” Ogami said.   
“Like a buddy system. But with three or more people. That way, no one can be alone and be murdered.”   
I mean, it might work…” K1-B0 said. “But how are we to enforce this?”

“We can’t.” Kirigiri said. “They won’t listen to us. But what we can do is model the system ourselves. We won’t fall victim.”   
“Might be a morbid idea, but hear me out.” Owada said. “What if we let a murder happen. Not between us, yeah, but maybe we can convince them to cooperate once the game begins? There isn’t a real threat now, there isn’t even a motive. But wouldn't this system be easier to enforce when there could be someone plotting another murder among us? No one wants to die, you know.”

“Mondo, that’s crazy, we can’t risk people dying!” Nanami said.

“Our goal is no one dies!” Akamatsu said. “We can’t afford to make sacrifices!”

“Anyone else have an idea to get us all to cooperate!?” Owada refuted.

Silence. But within that silence, two other voices rose. Not from the table, but the kitchen.   
“Get out of my damn kitchen!” Hanamura yelled. “I’m the Ultimate Chef here, I don’t need help making breakfast!”   
“I’m not trying to interfere,” Tojo said. “I’m trying to tell you not to go crazy in here. There’s not that much food. Maybe enough for everyone for a few days, but-”   
“There’s… not? I reckon you’re right. But so? It’ll likely be restocked.”

“Can we risk it not being so?”   
“We’re not gonna starve, if you really think so. We have water, we’ll last.”   
“Just… please, keep this in mind.” Tojo left the kitchen quickly, not sparing a glance to the group at the table.

K1-B0 cleared his robotic throat, attempting to call the group’s attention. “I think we should wrap things off. Kyoko, can you help investigate? We still need to find a way out.”   
“What if there’s none?” Ogami said.

“Well, we can’t be sealed off. We got in here somehow, right?” Akamatsu said. “I’ll help Kyoko look for an exit.”

“One thing bothers me, though…” Nanami said. “Remember overhearing Kirumi and Teruteru’s conversation? There’s not that much food.”   
“It takes a lot longer than you think to starve if we have water.” Kirigiri said. “We have at least a month. If this is a motive, it’s not that good. Someone will definately be murdered before we all die. Only the seven of us are against this whole game, anyway.”

No one really could refute it. “I’m gonna investigate,” Nanami said. “Can I go with you two, Kyoko, Kaede?”

“Of course!” Akamatsu said cheerfully. “The more the merrier, I already have an idea of where to check.”   
Kirigiri had no choice in the matter, then. That was… fine. She’d manage. She wasn’t planning on any risky investigating just yet.

The group split up, and Akamatsu decided she’d lead the investigation.

“They got us into this school, there has to be a way out…” Akamatsu rambled. “And there was an exit last time, so…”   
“And did you use the exit?” Kirigiri said, arching an eyebrow.

“Well… no. There was a bunch of traps. I can’t say we didn’t try, though!”

“And who’s to say there aren’t any in front of this hypothetical exit?”   
“I don’t know…” Akamatsu looked defeated.

“We’ll entertain your search for an exit until we find something else we should be searching for.” Kirigiri… couldn’t fight her. She reminded her of Naegi, in a way. At least she had a spine. And besides. It was a better option to find this exit when there were sixteen of them, not five.

“Kaito and Gundham searched behind the school, where you guys said there was an exit last time, right?” Nanami said. “But they didn’t find anything.”   
“So it’s best we look elsewhere…” Kirigiri said.

“We’ll look all over the grounds.” Nanami said.

“What if there’s a secret room inside?” Akamatsu guessed. “Leads to an exit.”

“We’ll search the school after, then…” Kirigiri said.

They tried everything that could possibly come to mind searching the grounds. Climbing trees, digging through the sandy ground, they even looked for a false bottom in the pool, leaving them all soaked.

Recon at the dorm hallway after a small break to shower and change clothes.

“Well, we found nothing…” Nanami said, sighing.   
“Maybe Kaede’s secret room idea was right. We just have to look harder than we did yesterday.” Kirigiri said.

They entered the school again. They’d search every room again, but harder this time.

The Ultimate Pianist’s lab- Akamatsu mostly played the piano and Nanami the triangle while Kirigiri did the work. They were such a great help, Kirigiri didn’t know what she’d do without them.

Kyoko peeked under a table covered by a cloth, not expecting to find much, but, what was the harm in checking? She didn’t find an exit, but rather Kuwata, hiding under the table.

“Um… hey? ‘Sup, nerds.” He said.

“What the hell are you doing here?” She asked.

“I, uh, just… chilling.”

“Under a table?”   
“You got me,  _ detective _ . I was practicing. You guys came in and I panicked. Happy?”

“This isn’t my room, so I can’t say who’s allowed in, but I’m sure Kaede wouldn’t mind. We’re just… searching this place for clues and exits. You find anything?”   
“No.” He said, rather defensively. “What are they planning to find playing music? Hidden room that activates if you play the triangle badly?!”

“They’re not helping, apperently. I wasn’t expecting any help investigating either, so I don’t mind.”

“Whatever, nerd.” Kuwata shoved Kirigiri aside, exiting Akamatsu’s lab.

After finding nothing, Kirigiri left, Nanami and Akamatsu soon following. They checked next door, the dining hall.

It was rather simple. Four small tables, sitting four people each, and a longer table toward the wall meant to serve food. Three chairs from other tables that were crowded around one table for the meeting were now placed back in their original spots. The three of them must have missed breakfast in their investigation.

“Hey, where do you suppose that leads to?” Nanami pointed up. The ceiling was rather large, spanning two floors. Weird, this place only had one floor? Unless building a second one was in progress. The wall by the door to the hallway was a low fence, enough to lean over, however. On the other side was dark, barely illuminated by the ceiling lights of the dining hall.

“I suppose a second floor we’re not allowed in?” Akamatsu guessed. “There was a staircase in the gym hallway, by that locked door. It doesn’t lead anywhere, anyway.”

“Well, we got a new floor of the school after every trial, last time…” Kirigiri said.

“As did I…” Akamatsu said.

“I suppose that was the same, but with an island.” Nanami said.

“We’ll find out what’s up there after the first case.” Kirigiri said.

“That’s if we have one!” Akamatsu said.

“Kaede, we’re going to have one.” Kirigiri said. “Quit being hopeful. We all killed someone here, we’ll do it again.”

“I was framed for a suicide.” Nanami said.

“I was framed by the mastermind.” Akamatsu said.

“I… I was too.” Kirigiri admitted. “But that’s not the point! Not all of us were framed. Someone’s gonna get killed. It’s happened.”   
“Maybe it won’t happen because we know what being convicted is like.” Akamatsu said hopefully. “We don’t have to kill each other again…”

Classroom 1-A. Alter Ego was moved to the teacher’s desk, the laptop plugged into the wall to charge. He looked at the girls, and seemed delighted to have company.

“Alter Ego.” Kirigiri said.

“Yes, Kyoko?” Alter ego said.

“We know yesterday you said you didn’t know anything about our situation, but is there any chance you can hack into a computer that can? Like if there’s another computer room for the Mastermind, or…”

Alter Ego broke eye contact. “I’ll see what I can do. I can’t promise anything.”

“...Thanks, Alter Ego.” Kirigiri left the classroom with the others.

They saw K1-B0 in the hallways by the locker rooms. “Oh, hey Kiibo!” Akamatsu said, smiling.

“Kaede!” K1-B0 said. “What are you guys doing?”

“Hunting for clues to the Mastermind.”

“Are… are you sure? You know what happened last time. But I was thinking about that too… I hope it isn’t Junko again. It’s entirely in character for her, but… it makes for a bad story.”

“Not like the Mastermind is trying to write a book…”

“Right. ‘Course they’re not…” K1-B0 looked away. “But maybe there’s a clue in a bathroom.”   
“Bathroom?” Kirigiri asked.

“Tsumugi had a secret passageway in the girl’s bathroom by the dining hall.” K1-B0 explained. “How she was able to murder Rantaro in such a short timespan.”

“In my first killing game, there wasn’t any cameras in one of the bathrooms, and a storage closet lead to a hidden room.’ Kirigiri said. “You might be onto something.”

She looked to the locker rooms behind them. “Kiibo, you check the boys’ locker room. Us three wil check the girls’.”

Kyoko entered the locker room. There were only eight lockers, which would be surprising if there weren’t 8 girls in this school. So this place was built for their Killing Game…

One had her name on it. It was locked. She grabbed the room key from her pocket, and on impulse, tested unlocking the locker with it. It opened. Inside was empty.

She closed it, pocketing the key again.   
The three of them wandered through the locker room, finding nothing, and exiting to the gym.   
“Did you find anything?” K1-B0 said when he exited the boys’ room.

“No, we found nothing.” Kirigiri said.

“This investigation was fun and all, but…” Nanami said. “I don’t think we’re gonna find anything. We should do something else, at least enjoy the afternoon.”

And so, Kirigiri returned to her dorm. But there was plenty of time left in the day. Kyoko wanted to at least talk to someone.

She exited her dorm, walking down the hallway to Akamatsu’s dorm. She knocked on the door with her nameplate.

“Come in~” Akamatsu’s voice came from the other side. Inside was just like her dorm, she didn’t expect a difference anyways.   
“I’ve come to spend some time with you.” Kirigiri said. “Is that okay?”

“Oh, yeah. Thank you.” Akamatsu said.

The two of them decided to take a short walk around campus together.   
“Oh, um, I brought you this.” Kirigiri said, showing her a pink rose, that was growing in the garden.

“Oh! Thank you” She accepted the rose, a small smile on her face.

They spent a few moments in silence before Akamatsu spoke up again.

“So… what made you want to become a detective, Kyoko?” She asked.

“It wasn’t really my choice.” Kirigiri said. “I came from a line of detectives. My grandfather was one. I’ve been doing it since I was like, 7.”   
“Wow, you sound so talented!” Akamatsu said.

“Really, I’m not. Nearly everyone in my family was  detective. How long have you been playing piano?”

“About as long as I remember. I was playing ever since I was really young.”

“You must be quite dedicated, still keeping with one skill your whole life.”   
“If anything, it just got me the nickname ‘Piano Freak’.”

“‘Piano freak’? People were… rude to you because you played the piano?”

“I mean, piano was… piano is my life. It was my only hobby.”

“I see. But it landed you the title of Ultimate.”

“Speaking of such… why are you the Ultimate Detective? I knew an… Ultimate Detective. I thought there was only one of each talent.”   
“I… I don’t know, honestly. I didn’t even remember my talent until I woke up here.”

“Oh, I see…”

The conversation failed to repair, and the two decided to just go get dinner. Nonetheless, Kirigiri felt she grew a little closer with Akamatsu today.

She wanted to get closer to Akamatsu, but getting to know the other suspicious characters would be interesting as well.

She contemplated the thought walking back to her dorm, not paying attention to the nighttime announcement.

What a way for a first day to go. She didn’t want to do this horrible death game again. She had to end it before it even began.

But how?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do hope to release chapter three without a two month delay, and hopefully not as short! I have at least some basic planning done. Please bear with me.  
> As always, comments are appreciated and welcomed.


	3. 1.2 Drowning My Thoughts Out With the Sounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Uncooperative students believe the cooperatives are planning something against them, and band together for safety against a threat that doesn't exist. Meanwhile, Monokuma presents a motive, pushing the groups ever apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I have not forgotten about this fic or intend to drop it! I'm just slow and bad at writing. Please bear with me. NaNoWriMo is coming up next month, perhaps I'll make it a thing to see if I can write a whole chapter in a month, and not have it be horrendously short like how this one ended up being.

The gentle hum of machinery in K1-B0’s room was all keeping the robot from an almost deafening silence. The box fan, the air conditioning… if he was human, K1-B0 would be quite cold.

The robot almost hated days he had to charge. With all the humans asleep, K1-B0 was… bored. Could it have killed their captors to at least provide them with a few books? A deck of cards?

Last night, he talked to Alter Ego, who also had no need to sleep. They told him things they were scared to tell the humans, but not too much.

In K1-B0’s night of solitude, he contemplated- was Alter Ego really on his side? The humans’ side? Which also brought the question, what side was K1-B0 on? Would he stay with the humans, just the innocent ones, or play his own team?   
They shouldn't be picking sides to begin with.

K1-B0 closed his eyes, trying to be quiet. Not too long until morning…

* * *

 

The morning announcement played.

_ Good morning, Murderers! Look forward to a little surprise tonight- your first motive! _

* * *

 

The breakfast meeting consisted of the same people as yesterday, yet the uncooperatives were in the room, just not at the two tables pushed together.   
So this was how the group fell apart, K1-B0 realized. Not into cliques and friend groups, but who was willing to work together versus everyone else. But even those with a “me against the world” mentality might band together to an “us versus them” that the cooperative group already seemed to have against them. This was… horrible, to put it lightly. He sat down at the table, and before he could say anything-

“...Hey, can I join you guys?” Momota’s voice said.   
“Gonta wants to join as well!” Gokuhara stood next to him, holding his plate of today’s breakfast- fried eggs and toast. From K1-B0’s perspective, it looked amazing, but he much preferred how Japanese food looked.

“I suppose that’s fine.” Kirigiri said.   
“The more the merrier!” Akamatsu smiled. “Pull up a chair!”   
And so they did, sitting down with the group. That made eight willing to cooperate and work together. Still, seeing only half of the group wished to escape this killing game was despair inducing, and K1-B0 didn’t like to use that word lightly.

“So… what exactly do you guys do?” Momota asked. “I didn’t really know.”   
“We’re trying to end this killing game.” Nanami said. “I think.”   
“Find another way out that doesn’t involve killing each other again.” Owada said.

“Our tripple buddy system might not work now that we have eight…” Akamatsu said.   
“We can work in pairs.” Ogami said, taking a bite of her toast. “It’s not us that’s the biggest threat. It’s them.” She jabbed her thumb behind her, in the direction of the other tables at the cafeteria. Pekoyama saw her gesture in their direction for a moment before returning to her breakfast.

“Them?” Gokuhara questioned.

“The others.” K1-B0 finally spoke up. “Sakura’s right. We probably won’t kill each other. It’s them that’s more likely to try.”

“So in other words, we look out for the others?” Momota said.

“Yeah- but it’s best we avoid them as much as possible when you don’t have at least one other of us with you.” Kirigiri said.

K1-B0 felt… safer in this group. These people were more likely not to kill him.

* * *

 

K1-B0 found himself with Alter Ego after breakfast.

“Good morning, Kiibo!” Alter Ego said.

“Morning, Alter Ego.” He said to the other AI.

“How were the humans this morning…?” The face of Chihiro broke “eye” contact.

“As always.” He lied to their face. It was anything but normal- he knew five of these people, they aren’t the type to start… whatever cult the cooperative group became. No, wait, that happened.

“I heard they’re going to the pool out in the courtyard at noon from one of the humans.” Alter Ego seemingly hasn’t caught on. “Maybe you should join them!”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea… or if I’m even waterproof.”

“You don’t have to go swimming! Just sit by the pool.”

“I suppose I’ll join them… thanks, Alter Ego.”   
“Anytime!”

* * *

 

Today’s weather report read it’d be a rather hot day today. The shadow of the cage fell over the mostly sandy ground, providing some cool patches in areas where trees weren’t. The sixteen murderous teens were lounging among the area by the pool, a few playing around in the water, sitting on the ledge with their feet wet, or the goths (Ludenberg, Shinguji, Tanaka, Tojo) at an umbrella table trying not to burn in sunlight like vampires.

K1-B0 considered joining them under the umbrella, but he shouldn’t talk with the… uncooperative ones.   
K1-B0 sat down by the pool ledge, next to Kuwata, Owada, Tsumiki, and Gokuhara.   
“Hey, Kiibo.” Owada said.

“Kiibo!” Gokuhara looked happy to see him.

A midday of mild conversation went fine. Only time someone left was Tojo, but she returned with a late lunch, which K1-B0 couldn’t eat, of course, but everyone else seemed to enjoy it.

The robot stood around by the pool, talking with Gokuhara, when he felt a shove on his back, and suddenly, he was submurged in water.

K1-B0 couldn’t swim. A robot had no need to. This wasn’t a daily occurance. Panic set in as the robot tried to conserve as much as he could. Was it too late for the robot?

He heard a splash and before he knew it, the large body of Ogami was coming right at him, lifting him out of the water without any effort, despite K1-B0 being quite heavy. Being someone of her… size, it wasn’t too surprising.

The robot was on land, and this event caused quite the commotion, leading to many pairs of eyes staring at him.

“I’m…. sorry, Kiibo.” Momota said.

“Why…?” K1-B0 asked.

“I… pushed you in. I thought you were… waterproof. That it’d be funny, even. I’m so sorry, again…”   
“It’s alright, Kaito.” K1-B0 didn’t want to fight. Not here.

The wet robot returned to his room, and entered the attached bathroom, to which he had no use for, but there were toweld hung on a rack. He took one, trying to dry off the metal on his body before his circuits fried.

He found himself wandering the school once he was finished- the pool party declared over, and wet haired students were walking around the school, or talking.

He entered one of the classrooms, finding Owada sitting on one of the desks, seemingly deep in thought.

“O-oh, are you busy?” K1-B0 put his hands up, slowly backing out of the room.   
“Nah, it’s just fine.” Owada shrugged him off. “Just thinkin’.”   
“...About what, if I may implore?”

“Life. This shitty killing game. The shitty killing game before this. And whatever ones you guys went through.”

“Well… will this help?” K1-B0 was at the school store yesterday promptly after he figured out it existed. He won a prize from the Monoyono machine: a small stuffed dog. He pulled it out, presenting it to the large, tough looking boy. It was the last thing he’d consider giving had he options, but he was kind of out of monocoins. Finding one under his bed was just luck.

“You’re… giving that to me?” Owada raised an eyebrow.

“I’m sorry if you don’t like it!” Kiibo raised his hands in surrender, still gripping the dog.

“No, no, I love it.” The biker gang leader blushed. “I had a dog like that once…”

“Oh, I didn’t know.” K1-B0 handed the present to him. “Do… you want to talk about your dog?”

“There’s nothing much to say. I had a dog once, not anymore.”

K1-B0 decided to drop the topic.   
“So what brings you here? I thought in this classroom I’d be alone.” Owada asked.

“Oh, no reason. I was passing through, saw you through the door. I was at a loss of things to do and… I thought it’d be okay to talk with you.”

“I’m… just sortin’ through a lot of shit right now. I’m fine talking with you.”

The two had a little trouble finding conversation topics, and under any other circumstances, K1-B0 probably wouldn’t be the type to talk with someone like Owada. But… it was nice talking with him. He felt he understood the biker a little more than before.

Leaving the room, Kiibo had a feeling in his metal soul that… he was willing to go to lengths to appear... like the others. More human.

* * *

 

Kuwata received a note under his door: “Meet me in the dining hall at 8:00 pm.” The note was written in a rather neat handwriting, and Kuwata had no idea who it could possibly belong to, but the last time he’s received a note of this such didn’t exactly turn into a pleasant experience.

He had no damn clue while he actually went. This was basically an invitation to be murdered. But he wasn’t the only one in the dining hall when he finally arrived. Around half the school population was there, and it wasn’t the people you’d expect to come- the group that formed a little “I’m so noble” club and whispered to each other at breakfast.

Pekoyama stood by the back wall, waiting, while six people sat at assorted places in the dining hall. Ludenberg, Hanamura, Tojo, Tanaka, Tsumiki, and Shinguji. Kuwata took a seat among them, at one of the circular four person tables.

“And that’s all of us.” Pekoyama said. “Look, I’m glad- even surprised that all of you showed up, not counting to how late some of you may be. I’m the one who called the eight of you here.”   
“Make it quick, then.” Ludenberg said.

“The other students that aren’t here. They’ve… started some sort of weird club, think they’re better than us because they had cleaner motives… or didn’t commit murder at all.”

“That’s a valid point not to trust us.” Tojo said.

“But it’s not just that that bothers me.” Pekoyama was quite tired of being interrupted. “The eight of them are actively avoiding us, whispering behind our backs. I’m almost certain they’re scheming something. Might even be killing us.”

“Or they’re scared we’ll do something to them, and banding together out of fear.” Shinguji chuckled.

“WHAT I’M SUGGESTING IS- we play their game. There’s just as many of us as there are of them. We can form some sort of group of our own. They can pick us off on our own. Together, we can overpower if they really are planning something.”

“They have both strongmen, Peko.” Tsumiki said. “But I see your point. If they’re plotting something… staying togetherfeels better than being alone.”

“Hmph. I’ll give.” Tanaka scoffed. “You will be allied with Gundham Tanaka!”

“Alright, alright!” Kuwata said, breaking his silence since entering. “I don’t wanna fuckin’ die here. I’ll join up.”

No one voiced disagreement. And so they were officially divided in two, out of fear for the others.

“Our first meeting will be tomorrow.” Pekoyama seemed pleased this was working. “At breakfast every morning. The two tables the others… don’t occupy.”

After swearing on it like a group of children, the group left, most leaving the dining hall through the terrace door or to the rest of the school. Kuwata headed to the kitchen, mostly to grab a few snacks before the night time announcement.

Ludenberg seemed to have a similar idea, putting on the tea kettle, and ignoring him. She had a small bag of candy in her hand.

“Where did you get that?” Kuwata asked, closing a cabinet, the contents of which was nothing more than dry ingredients.

“The monoyono machine.” She replied, grabbing a tea bag from another shelf.

“There’s one here? Where’d you get the coin?”

“Yes, in the courtyard. By the terrace. Did you not see it? And the coin was in my room, on the nightstand. Leaves me to assume everyone was given one.”

“I’ll check it out once I get back.” He opened the refrigerator door to look for leftovers- none. There really was not that much food, and literally none of that were snacks.

“Yes. You do that.” She really did not seem interested in conversation, as much as Kuwata kind of wanted someone to talk to.

Thankfully, someone came in the kitchen as well, Kirumi, who only seemed interested in prepping tomorrow’s breakfast.

He left the kitchen and took the terrace exit to the courtyard, to find quite a few people there, either back by the pool like this afternoon, yet no one in it, or just for a nighttime walk.

He entered his room, and found what Ludenberg was talking about, the bronze coin with the Monokuma face on it.

He opened his soda and sat on his bed, planning on just relaxing until he decided to sleep when his handbook beeped.

 

_ ADDITIONAL RULE _ _   
_ _ Murders must be committed in a like order to how they were in your previous Killing Game. _

 

Kuwata’s heart sank in his chest. This was… terrible.

But he knew one way to avoid it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know when you think Danganronpa Killing Games this is not what you think of, and I swear, the murders will start up soon. And I also intended this just to be a fluffy pool party episode, not accidentally plunge these characters into the shittiest psychological war ever written.

**Author's Note:**

> Dear Reader, are you aware of the phrase "Don't judge a book by its cover"?  
> I'd like to remind you again this fic is my first in a while. It might not be too good now, but please stay with me. The chapters will only get better throughout this book as I improve my writing. Thank you.  
> Edit Log:  
> 19/06/23: Fixed spelling errors


End file.
